Movie Monday: Jackson Singing, "I've Got the Joy In My Heart"

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Jackson's First Day of School!

Saying bye to me and getting ready to walk of and hold his good friend from church Xander's hand. Happy tears, Jackson has come so far in the last year.

He has been waiting almost 4 years for this day, and was so excited. So thankful for his good friend from church, Xander, waiting for him, and showing him around. We are so blessed here!

Jackson will just be going to school two days a week. I really did not want to put him in a Pre-school unless he knew someone, so we are so blessed to have Xander in his class. I think this is going to be a big blessing for Jackson. He has so much energy and when we put him down to bed, he cannot get to sleep for another two to three hours which is crazy. He will have this and Upwards Soccer where daddy is his coach again, and Xander is on his team! I think these will be good outlets to release all of his energy

Things to work on before kindergarten (I will post math skills to work on in two weeks). This is for a Pre-Kindergarten Class (4 year olds). I think we have mastered almost all of the 3 year old goals so this is what we will be work on at home (take one skill and work on it all week long for 10-15 minutes a day..he already has mastered some skills such a putting puzzles together).

Cognitive Skills

• Can do a puzzle (8-12 pieces)
• Draw person with 6 recognizable body parts
• Draws and describes recognizable picture
• Knows street address
• Knows telephone number
• Knows birth date
• Recognize six basic shape (circle, square, triangle, oval, rectangle, diamond)
• Name 11 colors (red, orange, green, yellow, blue, black, brown, gray, pink, purple, white)
• Understands same / different concepts.
  

Tuesday's Tip: Working out at Home

I wrote on Facebook:

"Emily Wallace has just canceled our gym membership and will not be going to Body Step for the first time in three years because the classes are not offered when we can go now that Jackson is going to Pre-School and playing soccer again. What work out videos do you recommend at home (we have a great room out back for working out) besides P90X? Zumba? Insanity?"

Got back in response:

"Jillian Michael's Shred....20 minute workouts, but very good."

"Anything Jillian is GREAT! Do you have TimeWarner Digital cable - they have Exercise TV on Demand - It's free and the workouts change all the time!"

Very thankful for help people give on Facebook. I think I am going to try one of Jillian's workouts and Exercise TV on Demand.

I am planning to try to work out Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

We finally have gotten ourselves into a good schedule here but now things are going to change with Preschool and soccer starting. Throughout the summer we would go to the gym Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday (mornings). Mondays we would stay in the house and I would wash-clothes all day and "recover" from Sunday. Wednesday morning we would go to Wal-Mart. I think our Monday/Wednesday schedule will stay the same, but, I am now going to try to work out while they take a nap on Mondays and Wednesdays. It is hard, though, without accountability!

Weight Watchers tip for the week: If you want something to eat really bad and are not hungry, wait 15 minutes, and if you still want it 15 minutes later then eat it. I have also been thinking is eating "goldfish" (or any snack food that my babies are eating) really worth not being able to reach my goal? Is this food worth my stomach still being large? The answer is usually "no!"

What workout would you recommend at home?

August 2010 Pictures

Faith

It has been a crazy couple of weeks and the Lord has been teaching me a lot about faith!

Last week, a good friend at church almost died after child birth. They could not get her to stop bleeding (her uterus would not stop bleeding),and she lost all her blood (doctor told Charlie he only sees this once every five years). We prayed so hard for her! God's power and glory were shown through her and after probably hundreds of people prayed for her she took a turn for the better. Charlie could not believe what a turn she took in just a few hours.

This week, Charlie's mom went for her mammogram and they discovered a small lump and the test came back and she has been diagnosed with Stage 1 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.

Charlie writes: "The doctor told my mom that if she was going to get cancer, this would be the type to get. If caught early enough, it can be easily defeated. She is scheduled to have surgery to remove it next Friday at noon in Columbia. Continue to pray that the cancer will not or has not spread. She'll also likely have to have a couple of rounds of radiation after the surgery. We are praying for God's complete healing. Thank you for your prayers - they have worked and they mean a lot."

Both Charlie and his mom are very positive and know that God is in control and is going to work this out for her good and His glory.

Faith is a gift from God, so no man can boast. I often forget this. I think I have to do it all on my own, which is against God's plan for my life. He wants us to die to ourselves and depend on Him, and many hard situations cause us to do just that.

I am asking God to give me faith. Faith to believe that He is going to work all situations out for the best interest of that person. It might not be easy, but it is for our holiness, and for us to depend completely on Him. I am daily asking God for faith in all areas of my life.

Two areas I am always working on are glorifying God with my speech and with my eating. These two areas are hard because we have to speak and we have to eat. One reason I am not able to overcome overeating is because I do not pray to the Holy Spirit for supernatural help, and I do not have faith that God can really help me overcome this silly little thing: overeating.

I found a great website on overcoming sin: http://www.christian-faith.com/forjesus/how-to-overcome-sin

"Unbelief also, is the root of much sin. If we really believed in God's goodness, wisdom and love, what motive would remain for not doing things God's way? These attitudes hurt the heart of God and often cause insensitivity to others as well, resulting in us saying and doing things that were better not said or done."

I am praying to the Holy Spirit, that he will be able to supernaturally help me overcome overeating, and not pleasing the Lord with my words. I am praying that the Holy Spirit will give me the gift of faith.

Fun with Gigi

Saying "cheese."

Book of the Month: War of Words (Tripp)

We all know that we need to be constantly learning and growing, but especially if you are at home and have to listen to Barney a lot (Abigail's favorite).

I decided to find a book from Charlie's library this month, and this is one that I did not read in seminary for some reason.

Tripp states

"If your dream would crumble, if there were nothing left, would you rise in the midst of your tears and say, "I am full of joy because the Lord is my lord, the Lord is my life, the Lord is my strength, and gloriously, in the midst of all this loss and destruction, I have him"? You can pursue your dream, or you can pursue the Lord's dream for you, You can ask him to conform you to his image, so that more and more your life and your words would bring him praise. Or you can wish that Christ would conform to the scope and focus of your dream. Whose dream are you seeking"? (100).

and he goes on to say

"How does God produce long-term heart change in us? Or, as Paul says it, how does he "compel" us away from living for ourselves to living for him? Second Corinthians 5:11-21 clearly teaches that the thing that compels Paul---and us --- is the love of Christ. Ultimately, the thing that turns us is not just God's sovereignty, his holiness, his anger against sin, or his mighty power. It is the kindness of the Lord that leads people to repentance (114)."

Life-changing words here and I would highly recommend this book!

Tuesday's Tip: Printable Coupons

I just printed off many printable coupons from

coupons.com

Cereal, yogurt, meals, roles, etc.

Also, Hungry Girl is a great website to check out for recipes, and weight watchers ideas.

Movie Monday: Charlie and Jackson Sliding at the Bethware Fair

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Fun at the Bethware Fair!

Abigail was very excited to be tall enough to ride this ride (she is our little daredevil).

Thursday's Tip: Overcoming Feeling Defeated

"He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything . . . . No name and no power [are] exempt from his rule (Eph. 1:21-22)."

Last Sunday, Charlie challenged us to pray 10 minutes a day for one week (it has taken some getting used to with my husband being my pastor too...he is an unbelievable teacher and pastor).

As I was praying, I just cried out to God in my prayer that I just have felt so defeated in two areas of my life: finances and overeating.

So, after praying, God and His Spirit showed me some ways to overcome feeling defeated. Have a plan!

With finances there have been many expenses that have occurred that are out of our control - keeping up with two houses, Charlie having his gallbladder out and then those bills pouring in. But one thing I can control is how much we spend on groceries and out to eat and I really do not feel like we have been good stewards in this area at all. It takes some time to figure out how much it is going to cost to live in a new town as well as adjusting to a different type of pay schedule.

So here has been our challenge this last week and only by God's power and His provision have we been able to only spend $200 on groceries and out to eat.

1. We got $200 in cash out for last week. Spent $50 at Ingels, $50 at Walmart, $20 at CVS, $15 church meal and had the rest left over. We went out to eat one time at Ham's where the kids ate for .99 (Monday night).
2. No matter what, we eat at the table and try our best to cook on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday nights. Charlie enjoys cooking and I do not mind cleaning it up! I am planning out our meals one week in advance.
   
3. During my Walmart trip I could not believe how I got 30 items for $50. I totally felt not defeated, I was a conqueror. Going out to eat is not a desire but for one time a week when I could get so many groceries for $20.
4. I love having cash in my wallet and I have hardly had to use my debit card.
   

With overeating:

• I write down everything I eat in my 3 month Weight Watchers journal.
• I weigh in every Monday with Charlie for accountability. (trying to lose 2 pounds a week).
• My goal is to have this 15-20 pounds (I am that much more heavier since my wedding day Jan 2004) off by next summer. I am going to join back Weight Watchers when I get 10 pounds away from my target weight and hopefully become a lifetime member of Weight Watchers.
• There is nothing I can get at Zaxby's under 20 WW points, so I just do not get anything!
  
• Just always trying to lose weight is frustrating, but giving myself a big goal and specific time limits has really helped my attitude!

What about you? Do you feel defeated with your fiances or overeating? What has helped you?

July 2010 Pictures

The above picture is from the girls lunch that I got invited to this year as a surprise for mom (she tuned 60...shhh...do not tell anyone). The below picture is from when our friends come to Columbia.

Xander and Jackson buddies getting to be in the same Preschool class next year. We are so thankful!

Birthday party for Gigi!